Graphic Novels vs Monthlies.

[Ryan]

I'm no insider. Dinesh was just good at responding to people on social media. I chatted with him at a con for a bit once also.

I did get Rafer Roberts to name a HARDcorps troop after me... a character codenamed Hayseed is as close as it gets to me being an insider. I did bribe him with a Snickers bar.

Nice, I guess I was exaggerating a bit heh. Seriously though one of the coolest things about Dino-era VEI is that they seemed to be very open and accessible with the fans.

Dinesh being so open to engaging in non-spoiler conversation directly with anyone willing to hit him up... that was a big part of the Dinesh-era "special sauce".

"The company" was people... and many of them engaged us directly when we asked them to. They became personalities that we looked for at cons... not just writers and artists, but execs and sales managers were stars!

post DMG takeover, a few of the replacements have tried to do it that way... some succeeded, and others ended up fighting fans online and hurling insults.

Dinesh would take a fan's vicious insulting rant, and respond by saying something like, "trust me, check out the arc we have coming up next though... hit me back up after you've read that!"


Currently, I think Dani Ward may be the only person from the company willing to engage, props to her for trying at such a terrible time.

That's cool, that's a big part of why they're so loved on here and in the fandom.

When I criticize VEI, it's only in an effort objectively evaluate the product - the comics and the stories - and how they work for me, or not. If I can understand why I lost interest in characters that I love, maybe that will help to understand why others aren't into it?

Any work of art or fiction is going to attract both fans and detractors. The worst case is when there's neither, indifference.

[ManofTheAtom]

Dinesh always argued with me about the anthology book. He just could not see a value in it.

Well, in terms of narrative they really don't serve one. They really only exist to showcase the IP in one off stories that don't really/necessarily contribute much value to the overall universe.

It's the kind of thing that would be nice to have if for no other reason than to see said one-off stories about characters that might otherwise not merit a one-shot or mini-series, but, ultimately, they're not really worth the expense for the same reason that they are one-offs with no real intrinsic value with characters that don't merit the spotlight.

Acclaim was going to do an anthology toward the end, but that never happened.

Could be a first appearance of new character that gains spotlight, could have stories there that help do inbetween world-building, could use the anthology to kick off crossovers, or to tie together crossovers. They don't have to be throwaway one-offs... they can easily have "key" issues, and won't necessarily be tied down by needing to be a story that needs to fit in a GN format later.

I think it could work great, but Dinesh never hired me. Look at Valiant now... just sayin.

They never hired me either, though some of the first VEI issues do have suggestions I made, heh.

Yes, they could have all of that, but the cool thing about the original VALIANT is that such things happened organically without much fanfare. Such as Jack Boniface's cameo in X-O Manowar Vol 1. #4.

Is there anyone on this board who's NOT a VEI insider? lol

I've said many times I was never a fan of how overpowered VEI Bloodshot's was. If he can get blown to red mist and still not die, what can possibly threaten him? This takes the suspense out of the action.

The whole false memory/who am I really? plot has been done a lot but can be fun. There wasn't enough straight action-adventure for my taste though.

The VH1 BS has the problem of being even more cliche. The amnesiac super-soldier who used to be a mobster but now (for some reason?) is an altruistic hero is like every action movie from the 80s/90s. However, VH1 BS was fun.

One of the best things about VH1 was how they took concepts that weren't very original and made them feel fresh by giving them more depth, and put them in a tight shared universe where there were real consequences for their actions.

Definitely. You are confusing VH 1 with VH 2, though. VH 1 was never a super-soldier. He started out as a mobster. VH 2 was a super-soldier undercover as a mobster.

[Ryan]

Dinesh always argued with me about the anthology book. He just could not see a value in it.

Well, in terms of narrative they really don't serve one. They really only exist to showcase the IP in one off stories that don't really/necessarily contribute much value to the overall universe.

It's the kind of thing that would be nice to have if for no other reason than to see said one-off stories about characters that might otherwise not merit a one-shot or mini-series, but, ultimately, they're not really worth the expense for the same reason that they are one-offs with no real intrinsic value with characters that don't merit the spotlight.

Acclaim was going to do an anthology toward the end, but that never happened.

Could be a first appearance of new character that gains spotlight, could have stories there that help do inbetween world-building, could use the anthology to kick off crossovers, or to tie together crossovers. They don't have to be throwaway one-offs... they can easily have "key" issues, and won't necessarily be tied down by needing to be a story that needs to fit in a GN format later.

I think it could work great, but Dinesh never hired me. Look at Valiant now... just sayin.

They never hired me either, though some of the first VEI issues do have suggestions I made, heh.

Yes, they could have all of that, but the cool thing about the original VALIANT is that such things happened organically without much fanfare. Such as Jack Boniface's cameo in X-O Manowar Vol 1. #4.

Is there anyone on this board who's NOT a VEI insider? lol

I've said many times I was never a fan of how overpowered VEI Bloodshot's was. If he can get blown to red mist and still not die, what can possibly threaten him? This takes the suspense out of the action.

The whole false memory/who am I really? plot has been done a lot but can be fun. There wasn't enough straight action-adventure for my taste though.

The VH1 BS has the problem of being even more cliche. The amnesiac super-soldier who used to be a mobster but now (for some reason?) is an altruistic hero is like every action movie from the 80s/90s. However, VH1 BS was fun.

One of the best things about VH1 was how they took concepts that weren't very original and made them feel fresh by giving them more depth, and put them in a tight shared universe where there were real consequences for their actions.

Definitely. You are confusing VH 1 with VH 2, though. VH 1 was never a super-soldier. He started out as a mobster. VH 2 was a super-soldier undercover as a mobster.

The original Rising Spirit had no powers, just a master martial artist (according to Don Perlin in one of the hardcover collections). Why does he keep getting more powerful with each iteration?

I'm thinking it's an example of power creep.

Noun
power creep

(collectible games, video games, roleplaying games) The situation where successive updates or expansions to a game introduce more powerful units or abilities, leaving the older ones underpowered.

[ManofTheAtom]

Well, in terms of narrative they really don't serve one. They really only exist to showcase the IP in one off stories that don't really/necessarily contribute much value to the overall universe.

It's the kind of thing that would be nice to have if for no other reason than to see said one-off stories about characters that might otherwise not merit a one-shot or mini-series, but, ultimately, they're not really worth the expense for the same reason that they are one-offs with no real intrinsic value with characters that don't merit the spotlight.

Acclaim was going to do an anthology toward the end, but that never happened.

Could be a first appearance of new character that gains spotlight, could have stories there that help do inbetween world-building, could use the anthology to kick off crossovers, or to tie together crossovers. They don't have to be throwaway one-offs... they can easily have "key" issues, and won't necessarily be tied down by needing to be a story that needs to fit in a GN format later.

I think it could work great, but Dinesh never hired me. Look at Valiant now... just sayin.

They never hired me either, though some of the first VEI issues do have suggestions I made, heh.

Yes, they could have all of that, but the cool thing about the original VALIANT is that such things happened organically without much fanfare. Such as Jack Boniface's cameo in X-O Manowar Vol 1. #4.

Is there anyone on this board who's NOT a VEI insider? lol

I've said many times I was never a fan of how overpowered VEI Bloodshot's was. If he can get blown to red mist and still not die, what can possibly threaten him? This takes the suspense out of the action.

The whole false memory/who am I really? plot has been done a lot but can be fun. There wasn't enough straight action-adventure for my taste though.

The VH1 BS has the problem of being even more cliche. The amnesiac super-soldier who used to be a mobster but now (for some reason?) is an altruistic hero is like every action movie from the 80s/90s. However, VH1 BS was fun.

One of the best things about VH1 was how they took concepts that weren't very original and made them feel fresh by giving them more depth, and put them in a tight shared universe where there were real consequences for their actions.

Definitely. You are confusing VH 1 with VH 2, though. VH 1 was never a super-soldier. He started out as a mobster. VH 2 was a super-soldier undercover as a mobster.

The original Rising Spirit had no powers, just a master martial artist (according to Don Perlin in one of the hardcover collections). Why does he keep getting more powerful with each iteration?

I'm thinking it's an example of power creep.

Noun
power creep

(collectible games, video games, roleplaying games) The situation where successive updates or expansions to a game introduce more powerful units or abilities, leaving the older ones underpowered.

Yeah, toward the end of VH 1 they did overpowered him.

[Tim]

I'd be all for a graphic novel only approach. As may good memories I have to heading to the shop every Wednesday in the past, comics (at least most of them) aren't written to be enjoyed serially anymore.

[ManofTheAtom]

I'd be all for a graphic novel only approach. As may good memories I have to heading to the shop every Wednesday in the past, comics (at least most of them) aren't written to be enjoyed serially anymore.

That's true.

At the same time, though, having sporadic releases is not conductive to world building or building an audience, which VALIANT needs to do.

So a mix of the two could serve them well depending on the series.

[leonmallett]

I'd be all for a graphic novel only approach. As may good memories I have to heading to the shop every Wednesday in the past, comics (at least most of them) aren't written to be enjoyed serially anymore.

That's true.

At the same time, though, having sporadic releases is not conductive to world building or building an audience, which VALIANT needs to do.

So a mix of the two could serve them well depending on the series.

Interestingly, Brubaker and Phillips have shifted to producing OGNs recently.

[ManofTheAtom]

I'd be all for a graphic novel only approach. As may good memories I have to heading to the shop every Wednesday in the past, comics (at least most of them) aren't written to be enjoyed serially anymore.

That's true.

At the same time, though, having sporadic releases is not conductive to world building or building an audience, which VALIANT needs to do.

So a mix of the two could serve them well depending on the series.

Interestingly, Brubaker and Phillips have shifted to producing OGNs recently.

Yeah, but they're just selling their work, not an entire shared universe.

[leonmallett]

I'd be all for a graphic novel only approach. As may good memories I have to heading to the shop every Wednesday in the past, comics (at least most of them) aren't written to be enjoyed serially anymore.

That's true.

At the same time, though, having sporadic releases is not conductive to world building or building an audience, which VALIANT needs to do.

So a mix of the two could serve them well depending on the series.

Interestingly, Brubaker and Phillips have shifted to producing OGNs recently.

Yeah, but they're just selling their work, not an entire shared universe.

I am not sure that distinction holds up - 6 OGNs with a single character versus 6 with different properties is still 6 published OGNs.

[ManofTheAtom]

I'd be all for a graphic novel only approach. As may good memories I have to heading to the shop every Wednesday in the past, comics (at least most of them) aren't written to be enjoyed serially anymore.

That's true.

At the same time, though, having sporadic releases is not conductive to world building or building an audience, which VALIANT needs to do.

So a mix of the two could serve them well depending on the series.

Interestingly, Brubaker and Phillips have shifted to producing OGNs recently.

Yeah, but they're just selling their work, not an entire shared universe.

I am not sure that distinction holds up - 6 OGNs with a single character versus 6 with different properties is still 6 published OGNs.

A shared universe would need to have that for each character in it, though.

It's doable, but it would really not be as fulfilling.

It would take us back to the iBooks Magnus one-shot model.

[daniellew61]

I'm no insider. Dinesh was just good at responding to people on social media. I chatted with him at a con for a bit once also.

I did get Rafer Roberts to name a HARDcorps troop after me... a character codenamed Hayseed is as close as it gets to me being an insider. I did bribe him with a Snickers bar.

Nice, I guess I was exaggerating a bit heh. Seriously though one of the coolest things about Dino-era VEI is that they seemed to be very open and accessible with the fans.

Dinesh being so open to engaging in non-spoiler conversation directly with anyone willing to hit him up... that was a big part of the Dinesh-era "special sauce".

"The company" was people... and many of them engaged us directly when we asked them to. They became personalities that we looked for at cons... not just writers and artists, but execs and sales managers were stars!

post DMG takeover, a few of the replacements have tried to do it that way... some succeeded, and others ended up fighting fans online and hurling insults.

Dinesh would take a fan's vicious insulting rant, and respond by saying something like, "trust me, check out the arc we have coming up next though... hit me back up after you've read that!"


Currently, I think Dani Ward may be the only person from the company willing to engage, props to her for trying at such a terrible time.

That's cool, that's a big part of why they're so loved on here and in the fandom.

When I criticize VEI, it's only in an effort objectively evaluate the product - the comics and the stories - and how they work for me, or not. If I can understand why I lost interest in characters that I love, maybe that will help to understand why others aren't into it?

Any work of art or fiction is going to attract both fans and detractors. The worst case is when there's neither, indifference.

Thanks! It can be tough love.
Don't forget Gregg, he was always super interactive too

[Sunlight on Snow]

$9.99 was the cost of a VALIANT trade that collected four issues worth.

How many pages do Alien Books' comics have for that price?

52-64 pages; prestige format; for $9.99-12.99.

[ManofTheAtom]

$9.99 was the cost of a VALIANT trade that collected four issues worth.

How many pages do Alien Books' comics have for that price?

52-64 pages; prestige format; for $9.99-12.99.

Dang. Once upon a time, 64-page comics used to be the norm. I think Action Comics #1 might have been 64 pages for a dime, heh.